Fastener for wall board



March 19, 1935. EH1, 5 ET AL 1,995;l73

FASTENER 1 FOR WALL BOARD Filed June 21, 1932 75 75 ig.1"! Wm-1e; B.Ehle and Alexandra? $.T. .Laghcu'd Gummy Patented Mar. 19, 1935 i V I tUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENER FOR. WALL Bolmn Harley B. Ehle,Wayzata, and Alexander S. T.

Lagaard, Minneapolis, Minn.; said Lagaard assignor -to said Ehle 1Application June 21, 1932, Serial No. 618,414 8 Claims. (Cl. 72-118) Ourinvention, relates to fasteners for 'wall board illustrating anembodiment of our invenboard or for any adjoining objects and has fortion.

' its object to provide a fastener by means of which Fig. 2 is adeveloped view of the blank from shrinkage atthe joint of adjoiningsheets of wall which the fastener shown in Fig. 1 is constructed.

eliminate cracks therebetween. us rating the method of attaching adj Anobject of the invention resides in providing sheets of wall board to awood stud through the a' fastener which may be securely attached to useof our invention. v studs of wood frame buildings and by means of Fig. 4is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a which the wall board may-berigidly mounted. modification of the invention.

An object of the invention, resides in providing Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2 of the blank a fastener having prongs extending fromtwo used in constructing the form of the invention sides thereof, theprongs on one side' being atshowninFig. 4. tached to the studs and theprongs on the other Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2side to the wall board. of another form of the invention. 15

Another object of the invention resides in con- Figs. 8 and 9 are viewssimilarlto. Fig. 1 of still structing the fastener of sheet metal and inanother form of the invention. 1 stamping the prongs therefrom, some ofthe Fig. 10isaperspective view of afastener formed prongs being bentoutwardly from the fastener with prongs having barbs for holding thewall from one side thereof and others from the other board appliedthereto. 20 side thereof. a Fig. 11 is a developed view of the blankfrom An object of the invention resides in providing which. the fastenershown in Fig. 1i) 'is con-' a fastener with a pair of prongs extendingfrom structed. one side and another pair of prongs extending Fig. 12 isa perspective view of still another from the other side, one pair ofprongs being form of the invention.

embraced within the other. Fig. 13 is a developed view of the blank used.A still further object of the invention resides in the construction ofthe fastener shown in in spacing the inner prongs a distance apart suchFig. 12. 1 that a hammer head is formed between the prongs 14 is aperspective view of a fastener hav-"-' whereby the prongs may besimultaneously driven ing individual points. 30

into the studs by hammering upon said hammer- Figs. 15 and 16 arefragmentary sectional views ing head. of a wall illustrating anotherform of fastener An object of the invention resides in constructforholding the wall board attached to the studs. ing the fastener from anarrow strip ofmetal Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a portion of andin shearing the prongs from the edges of the two intersecting wallsshowing another form of 35 strip inwardly toward the medial linethereof. ouninvention applied theret Another object of the inventionresides in con- Fig. 18 is a developed view of the fastener shownstructing the fastener to form two staples inin Fig. 1'7. tegrallyconnected together and facing in oppo- In the use of wall board in framebuildings, 40 site directions. v a considerable difiiculty has beenencountered in 40 A feature of the invention resides inshearing thejoining of the wall board along the studs. the strip from which thefastener is made along After the wall board has .been installed and thelines on a bias to form prongs along both of the joint puttied up,cracks form along the joints lateral edges of the strip and in furthersevering due to expansion and contraction of the wood of the strip alongparallel lines to form other prongs, the studs. The present inventionprovides a fas- 45 the prongs on one of the lateraledges extending tenerby means of which the adjoining edges of in the same direction and theprongs along the the wall board are held permanently in fixed otherlateral edge extending in the opposite dipositionso as to preventshrinkage and the forrection. mation of cracks.

- Other objects of the invention reside in the Our invention properconsists of a fastener novel combination and arrangement of parts andwhich we have-indicated in its entirety at A in v in the details of'construction hereinafter illus- Fig. 1 and which isconstrudied f 'O ablank B trated and/or described. shown in developed form in Fig. 2.

' In the drawing: This blank is constructed from a strip of ma- 3 Fig.Us a perspective view of a fastener for. wall terial which is out alongtwo lines 10 and 11 on a board or adjoining objects may be prevented toFig. 3 is a fragmentary plan sectional view il- 5' v bias to leave abody portion 12 and to form two pointed prongs 13 and 14 at the endsthereof. The body portion 12 is sheared along lines 15 and 16 which areparallel to the lines 10 and 11 and which form other prongs 17 and 18whose points extend in the same direction as the points of thecorresponding prongs 13 and 14.. The prongs 13 and 14 are bent upwardlyalong transverse lines 19 and 20 as best shown in Fig. 1 while theprongs 1'7 and 18 are bent downwardly along transverse lines 21 and 22as shown in the same figure. The two prongs 13 and 14 are spaced apart adistance slightly less than the width of the studs on which the same areto be applied, while the prongs 1'7 and 18 are spaced apart a.distancesomewhat less than the widthof the hammer head to be used in driving thesame to form a head 23 on which the fastener may be struck by the hammerto drive the same into the object on which the board is to be applied.The fasteners A may be constructed in a punch press or similar machineand are stamped out of sheet metal from narrow strips of the width ofthe blank shown in Fig. 2.

For the purpose of illustrating the application of the invention toabuilding, a single stud '76 of the building has been'shown and to whichtwo sheets of wall board '77 and '78 are to be applied, the said sheetsbeing joined along'the line 79.

In the use of the fasteners a number of the fasteners are applied tothe. studs at regular intervals from two or three inches apart up to afoot apart, depending upon the type of wall board and the rigidity ofconstruction desired. In applying the fasteners, each fastener isgrasped by one or the other of the prongs 13 and 14 and heldtransversely of the stud with the prongs 1'7 and 18 centered relativethereto. The intervening portion 23 of the body 12 of the fastener whichis disposed between the two prongs 17 and 18 and which forms a hammerhead is then struck withan ordinary'carpenters hammer which drives thetwo prongs 17 and 18 into the stud proper. The body 12 then lies uponthe outer surface of the stud, the two prongs 17 and 18 being buriedtherein and the two prongs 13 and 14 extending outwardly therefrom nearthe lateral edges of the stud. After the fasteners have been applied toall of the studs the wall board may be erected. This is accomplished asfollows: A sheet of wall board is first .placed in proper position overthe studs with the various prongs 13 and 14 of the fasteners engagingthe same at the proper locations. A block of wood is then placed uponthe wall board and the wall board driven against the prongs 13 and 14 bygiving the blocks blows with a hammer which causes said prongs to enterthe wall board and to pass completely through the same. The lengths ofthe prongs 13 and 14 are such that the extreme sharpenedends or points24 and 25 thereof project slightly beyond the surface of the wallboardwhen the wall board has been properly applied. The block used isthen successively moved about all of the edges of the wall board and thesame driven. up tight against the studs by hammer blows applied to theblock until all of the fasteners extend through the board. After thewall board is in proper position each of the projecting points 24 and 25may be clinched by a light hammer blow upon the exterior surface of thewall board which does not mar the wall board andwhich causes the pointsto form a hook 26 (Fig. 3) which becomes imbedded within the wall boardwithout leaving any visible mark whatsoever from the exterior surface ofthe wall board. After the fasteners have been applied and the wall boardsecured thereto, the joints between the adjoining sheets of wall boardmay be sealed through a suitable putty and in any suitable manner as isnow well known in the art. If desired, a strip of metal foil may beapplied to the joint and securely cemented in place thereon to preventthe formation of cracks in the joint. 3 Wall board may be mounted uponthe stud with our improved fasteners without the use of nails and thelabor required in puttying up nail holes is hence entirely eliminated.Due to the fact that a metal strip formed by the body-12 of the fastenerspans across the joint between adjoining sheets of board movement of theadjoining parts of the wall board is hence minimized and the formationof cracks in the putty used to seal the joint is prevented.

In Figs. 4 and 5 we have shown a construction which is similar to thatshownin Figs. 1 and 2. In this form of the invention the blanks areindicated at D and the finished fastener at E. The blank D isconstructed from a'narrow strip of sheet metal which is sheared alonglines 2'1 and 28 on the bias and which is further severed at 29 and 30along the medial line of the strip to form the prongs 31, 32, 33 and 34.The prongs 31 and 32 are bent outwardly from the strip in one direction,while the'prongs 33 and 34 are bent outwardly from the strip in theopposite direction. The fastener E is applied to the wall board inexactly the same manner as the fastener A and functions in like manner.

In Figs. 6 and 7 we have shown a modification of the invention in whichthe fastener may be constructed from a fairly wide strip of sheet metaland the prongs formed by punching instead of by shearing. The blank fromwhich the fastener illustrated in Fig. '7 is formed is indicated at Fand the finished fastener at G. Theblank F is provided at its two endswith two V-shaped notches 35 and 36 which are so shaped as to formprongs 37, 38, 39 and 40. The prongs 39 and are bent outwardly from theblank in one direction while the prongs 37 and 38 are bent outwardlytherefrom in the opposite direction. The hammer head 42 formed betweenthe two prongs 39 and 40 in this form of the invention is offset fromthe portion of the body from which the two prongs 3'7 and 38 issue sothat a somewhat greater degree of care is required in applying thefasteners G than would be required with either of the other two forms offasteners heretofore described.

To overcome the difliculty encountered with the fastener G in that thehammer head 42 is offset from the major portion of the body portion, afastener such as indicated at I in Fig. 8 may be employed. This fasteneris formed from a blank H shown in Fig. 9 which is similarinconfiguration to the blank F. This blank 'is,

however, folded along a line 43 to cause the por-,

tion 44 of the body of the blank on one side of the line of fold tooverlie the portion 45 on the other side thereof. The prongs 39 and 40are bent downwardly from the blank while prongs 37 and 38 are bentupwardly the same as with the fastener G. This fastener has thedisadvantage of having two thicknesses of metal between the wall boardand the stud, though the said fastener may be driven equally'as easy asthe fasteners A or E.

A fastener similar to the'fastener G is shown in Fig. 10 and isindicated by the reference character J. .This fastener is formed from ablank 1; shown in Fig. 11.- The. blank 1: is stamped along two lines '46and 47 on the bias and is sheared along lines 48 and 49 extendingmedially vof the strip from'which the fastener is conheight somewhatless than the thickness of the wall board and do not project .throughthesame.

In Figs. 12 and 13 I-' have shown still another form of fastener whichis designated by the reference character L. This fastener is formed froma blank M which is constructed from a narrow strip of metal shearedalong lines 55 and 56 on the bias and along longitudinally extendinglines 57 and 58 to form prongs 59, 60, 61 ands62. The body of thefastener which is indicated at 63 is bent-along lines 64 and 65 so thatthe prongs extend outwardly from said body in both directions, asclearly shown in Fig.

12. The fastener L is constructed somewhat nar- In addition a notch 70is provided which is disposed in advance of said slit and near theextreme point 71 of the prong. The slit 69 forms and where doublefasteners are notrequired.

a barb '72- which lies along the body of the prong proper. When thefastener shown in Fig. 15 is used with a fairly firm wall board, thepoint 71 is caused to project slightly outwardly beyond the surfacethereof. By striking the said point with a hammer the barb '12 is thrownoutwardly as designated in Fig. 16 to cause the same to become imbeddedinto the body of the wall board proper, whereby. the wall board isfirmly.

held attached to the studs.

In Fig. 14 we have shown a type of fastener which may be used onintermediate studs where no joints occur. This fastener is constructedof sheet metal being stamped from the same and is indicated at N. Thefastener N .is'constructed with two prongs, 73 and '14 issuing inopposite directions and offset with respect to one another. In theconstruction of this fastener-a shoulder '15 is formed which providesahammer head by means of which the prong '74 may be driven into the stud.fastener may beused on studs intermediate the edges. of the wall boardbent in one direction and prongs 52' The prongs81 and-82 are bentoutwardly from the body 80 along lines 87 and 88in one direction whilethe prongs 85 and 86 are bent outwardly from the body in the otherdirection. The body proper 80 is also bent along a diagonal line 89 toform two portions 90 and 91 making a right angle with one another andfitting along the reentrant angle formed between the two studsdesignated at 92 and 93. It will be noted that the two portions 90 and91 are offset with respect to one another and that one of the prongs 81and 82 issue outwardly from each of these portions.- This permits ofattachment of the respective sheets of wall board without interference.Both,

of the prongs 85 and 86 issuing from the portion 90 permit of securingthe fastener to the studs by driving with a hammer. The advantages of myinvention are manifest.

An extremely simple and inexpensive fastener is provided whereby wallboard may be permanently and firmly secured to the studs of framebuildings without the use of nails or by means of which any twoadjoining objectsimay be fastenedtogether. The fasteners leave noperceptible.

marks upon the exterior of the wall board thereby greatly reducing theamount of work necessary to finish up the wall board after the same hasbeen applied. By means of the connecting portion of the fastenerextending between the adjoining sections of the wall board, shrinkage ofthe wall board is prevented and the formation of cracks along the jointof the wall board entirely done away with. The fasteners can beconstructed at a nominal 'cost and by machinery such as is now readilyavailable for the purpose.-

Changes in the specific form of our invention, as herein disclosed, maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. A fastener coinprising a narrow strip of sheet metal having its endssevered along lines .on a bias to form end prongs, the points of saidprongs being disposed at the opposite lateral edges .of

said strip, said prongs being both bent outwardly from the strip on thesame side thereof, ---said strip being sheared along other linesparallel to said first named lines and extending toward the center lineof the strip' to form other prongs, the points of the second as d prongsbeing disposed at the same lateral e es of the strip as the points ofthe first named prongs adjacent thereto.

2. A fastener for attaching wall board to wood studs comprising a stripof sheet metal adapted to extend across the studs, prongs bent outwardlyfrom said strip near the lateral edges of the stud and adapted to. enterthe wall board and other prongs bent from said strip in the oppositedirection to said first named prongs and being Spaced apart a distanceless than the transverse dimension of a hammerhead, the interveningportion of said strip forming ahead connecting saidla'st namedprongstogether through which said last named prongs may besimultaneously driven into the stud by a hammer.-

3. A fastener for application'to the stud of a from the ends of thestrip for engagement with sheets of wall board applied to the studs.

. 4. A fastener for attaching wall board to wood studs comprising astrip of sheet metal adapted to extend across the studs, prongs bentoutwardly from said strip near the lateral edges of the stud and adaptedto enter the wall board and other prongs bent from said strip in theopposite direction to said first named prongs and being spaced apart adistance less than the transverse dimension of "a hammer head, theintervening portion of said strip forming a head connecting said lastnamed prongs together through which said last named prongs may besimultaneously driven into the stud by a hammer, said head being of awidth greater than the width of the portions of the strip connecting theouter prongs with the head.

5. A'fastener constructed from a blank formed from a narrow strip ofsheet metal of the shape of a rhomboid, said blank being sheared alongtwo commencing at two of the opposite edges thereof and extending towardone another and in the same general direction as the other two edges ofthe blank to form two triangular shaped portions at the center of theblank there being two triangular shaped portions at the ends of theblank, said portions being bent out of the plane of the fastener toprovide prongs issuing therefrom.

- 6. A fastener constructed from a blank formed from a narrow strip ofsheet metal of the shape of a rhomboid, said blank being sheared alongtwo lines commencing at two of the opposite edges thereof and extendingtoward one another and in the samegeneral direction as the other twoedges of the blank, the endsof the blank and the severed portionsthereof being bent out of the plane of the fastener to form prongsissuing therefrom;

7. A fastener comprising a narrow strip of sheet metal, two triangularprongs formed from the metal adjacent one edge of the strip and havingan edge of each prong formed from the edge of the strip, and two otherprongs formed from the metal ofthe strip adjacent the'other edge of thestrip, the second named prongs each having an edge formed from the edgeof the strip, said prongs being bent outwardly from the strip, saidstrip being equal in width to twice the base dimension of said prongs.

8. A fastener constructed from a blank formed from a narrow strip ofsheet metal of the shape of a rhomboid, there being two triangularshaped

